Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-02-20
IN THE CHINESE CAPITAL.
- Sighta. sounds and Novel Experiences
Of the Traveller In Pekin.

- sishss, sounds and Novel Experiences
OF the TRAVELLERS In Pekin.
On entering Pekin our cart got on to
% gods, what? / know not wha. we
travelled over. but how ! felt at the time
70 words can paint.
II seems that a few hundred or a few
thousand years ago, 1t matters little
which. an ambitious emperor, wishing
70 anticipate the great Appius, laid out
some paved roadways In and about the
capital with blocks OF stone several
yards square. They were doubtless
useful In their day.
As Cinnamon, however, worship ira
dftion, and love "a thing because II Is
old. these roadways which have become
o loose assortment Of mutilated stone
blocks, are In their eyes holy relics Of
antiquity. What is more, the degree Of
holiness they may be presumed : o possess
- largely measured by the degree of
badness which they unquestionably ex-
hibit, and which is no doubt an incident
Of their antiquity.
This explains why all heretical repairs
have been forbidden on these highways.
This explains why the Chinaman who
travels these streets In his cart has 70
hold on to the sides with all his might
10 keep his brains from being dashed out
on the top or sides, or his shoulder dis
located. The foreigner, unless he be a
missionary, takes 1t out. / fear, In swear
ing.
The ruts In these city pavements
were often Q foot deep. and, Of course,
abrupt. Our tough little ~springless cart
thumped and banged about In a way that
would have shivered any Anglo-Saxon
vehicle, A blackboard rIIe in the Adir-
ondack wilderness in the miust OF fallen
trees, rocks and boys, is a good Begin
ming for one who wishes to lead his mind
up 10 q conception Of what IL means TO
take q drive In Pekin.
And yet | was after experience, and I
got II, In tue intervals between the cart
thumps, i noticed that / was In a crowd
cd thoroughiare, made up of screaming
Chinese Of all ages and sexes. Some
were steering wheelbarrows, piled high
with vegetables, baskets and boxes.
Some wheelbarrows had donkeys pull
Ing on ahead, and a man to each
aide steadying the load.
Bad luck TO q man that got his little
wheel In q rut, as happened not infre-
quently. My. what a jabbering and
gestlculating goes up then, not only from
the disabled parties, but from the doz-
ens OF others VINO cannot get by.
Then We pas sed iong trains Of camels,
swinging along Ia their pa ieut and pow
eriul way, no. nou ing anybody in par
tcahr, but apparently satisfied that
svery thing Means TO get out OF their
way. as IL does.
These great trains Of camels come
down rom the Northern plains Of Mon
golia, burdened with What that country
furnishes, furs and Goals principally.
They are picturesque features OF the
city, especially the attendant Monaghan,
b stalks ahead In his fierce dress Of
furs, looking like some grim Norseman
sntering q city Of efieminate southern
srs.
Donkeys. and mule carts ~innumerable,
struggled along in the ruts and dust,
while what chinks were left fairly
ewarined with Cinnamon On foot, carry
ing burdens on the ends OF their bamboo
poles, or skipping from stone TO stone
70 their incessant efforts 10 avoid cess
pools, that seemed part OF the streets,
MT camels that knew no yielding to the
ngnt OF way.
Sidewalk, seemed unknown. But the
stencil that greeted me from time to
time was a m ST painful proof that the
name spirit that forbade any change In
me street pavement, allowed the SAM.
$ary arrangements Of tie city to take
care Of themselves.
Pekin has four walls, walls within
walls. And as though that was no,
enou3h In the wall line. the distr,c,s OF
the eity are walled of at night, SO as ,o
guard against Instruction. Houses iu
turn, are walled in around like a ha
Gen a on our southwestern frontier.
When In 1850 the great Kublai.Kh
made tnIs his capital he kept his Tartal
etty distinct from the Cnlne e city uy |.
wall. IL Is udd TO note tina IT, ; d,
orr inally occupied b the Taltars i, 4
eiea .er place Tan that peopled by tn,
Cinnamon.
Ia lde OF the TaItlr wall is the wall
surrou ding the Imperial city, within
when princes and high dignllaries live,
In the centre Of This walled pncio ure
Ii another wall guar ing The Sacred CITY,
bey"nd which no Eur. pean has ever pen.
et.ated siace the days OF the first Jesui,
missionaries.
The popular notion Is that gold and
precious 81 hes are at n large discount
In that ~neighborhood, out IL that is the
east. ithas not had any ~percepuDle good
innsence Oh ,hihese eurreuvy.
The stories heard to-day about this
sacred y lac are vi a Kind with those
thai Marco PoiU told In Lie THU teenth
century, When lie lnllalued Veuice with
d marsels nc pretended to have seer
~ the hhan's y lace.
here Is suppo .d TO be the Dragons
throne. the sea, Of the emperor, what
ever that may De. Two square miles o.
pleasuri grounds are here in the near
Of a populous city, obstructing passag,
RON one eide ~ Tie other.-[ouIing.